The Funicular de Vallvidrera, or Vallvidrera funicular, is a funicular railway

Funicular

A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...

 in the Vallvidrera

Vallvidrera

Vallvidrera is a neighborhood of Vallvidrera, Tibidabo i les Planes of the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district of Barcelona, Catalonia, in one of the sides of the Collserola hills . There are excellent views over the city and the Mediterranean from Vallvidrera, on a clear day it's possible to see the...

 district of the city of Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

, in Catalonia

Catalonia

Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. It connects the Peu de Funicular railway station on the Metro del Vallès

Metro del Vallès

Línia Barcelona-Vallès or Metro del Vallès is the collective name under which several rail lines operated by the Catalan rail company Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya are known. They serve several areas of Vallès and the metropolitan area of Barcelona, and their common terminus is the...

 suburban line (funicular station Vallvidrera Inferior), to the top of the Tibidabo

Tibidabo

Tibidabo is a mountain overlooking Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. At 512 meters it is the tallest mountain in the Serra de Collserola. Rising sharply to the north-west, it affords spectacular views over the city and the surrounding coastline....

 hill (Vallvidrera Superior), with an intermediate stop just above the line's mid-point (Carretera de les Aigües).

The line was opened in 1906 and rebuilt, with new cars, in 1998. It mostly carries commuters

Commuting

Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. It sometimes refers to any regular or often repeated traveling between locations when not work related.- History :...

, and runs every 6 minutes on weekdays, less frequently on weekends and public holidays.

The funicular has the following technical parameters:

• Length: 729 m (2,391.7 ft)
• Height: 165 m (541.3 ft)
• Maximum Steepness: 30.9%
• Cars: 2
• Capacity: 50 passengers per car
• Configuration: Single track
  Single track (rail)
  A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
  
   with passing loop
  Passing loop
  A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
  
  
• Maximum speed: 5 m/s (16.4 ft/s)
• Track gauge:
• Traction: Electricity
• Operation: Fully automatic

The Funicular de Vallvidrera is operated by the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya

Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya

Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya , or FGC, is a railway company which operates several unconnected lines in Catalonia, Spain....

 (Catalan Government Railways, FGC), who also operate the Metro del Vallès line and other suburban lines in and around Barcelona, along with three other funiculars and two rack railway

Rack railway

A rack-and-pinion railway is a railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail...

s. The funicular is one of three in Barcelona, the others being the Funicular de Montjuïc

Funicular de Montjuïc

The Funicular de Montjuïc, or Montjuïc funicular, is a funicular railway in the city of Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. The line is largely in tunnel and connects the Barcelona Metro Paral·lel station with the hill of Montjuïc and the various sporting and other facilities there. The funicular uses...

 and the Funicular de Tibidabo, although neither of these is operated by the FGC.

External links

• Funiculars page from the official FGC website (in English
  English language
  English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
  
  ; limited information other than timetable)
• Photographic description and map of the line from Trens de Catalunya (in Catalan
  Catalan language
  Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
  
  )